[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 81 (Friday, June 19, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1175]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HABITAT FOR HUMANITY HOUSTON PROJECT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON-LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 19, 1998

  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to acknowledge the 
contributions to my district that Habitat for Humanity and its sponsors 
have made to my district over the past week.
  Through the efforts of former-President Jimmy Carter, Habitat for 
Humanity, a handful of private sponsors, and several thousand miracle-
working volunteers, 100 homes will be built for needy families this 
week in the city of Houston.
  Houston was chosen as the site for this project because of its 
tremendous need for housing. Of the 1.7 million people that live in the 
city, 150,000 of them are considered to be ``marginally'' homeless. 
That number is completely unacceptable for America's fourth largest 
city.
  Even when people are able to find housing, there is a good chance 
that it will be inadequate. Over 100,000 of the housing units in 
Houston are dilapidated, and 72,000 of them are officially overcrowded.
  Yet as awful as those conditions are, there are still over 9,000 
families on waiting lists for public housing. Unfortunately, the 
government cannot solve the housing shortage for all of them. Someone 
else needs to step up to the bat and help these people help themselves. 
Fellow colleagues, someone has.
  Habitat for Humanity and the Jimmy Carter Work Project have come to 
bat for the people of Houston. With them, they brought an army of 
volunteers, and a fabulous group of sponsors.
  The supplies needed for these 100 houses were all supplied by 
contributions from private corporations, organizations, church groups, 
and businesses. Many of these organizations also contributed manpower, 
either through their employees or their members. I am grateful to all 
of them. Specifically, I want to name those sponsors who made donations 
for the homes built in my district. They include: South Main Baptist 
Church; U.C.C. Celebration House; Presbyterian House--First Grace, 
Memorial Drive and St. Andrews; St. John the Divine Episcopal; St. 
Martin's Episcopal Church; Congregation Beth Israel; Congregation Emanu 
El; Presbyterian House No. 2; the Shell Oil Company Foundation; Umland 
International House; the Junior League of Houston; Fondren Foundation; 
Exxon; St. Luke's Episcopal Health System; Notre Dame Alumni 
Association; Notre Dame Student Chapter; El Paso Energy; Continental 
Airlines; Newsradio 740 KTRH; The Brown Foundation; Apache; Friends of 
Habitat; Stanley Tools; Dow Chemical; Indianapolis Life; PMI; Paul 
Leonard House; Weyerhauser Co.; Churchs Chicken; the Aluminum 
Association; Southwest Airlines/Oprah Angels; the Farris Foundation 
Inc.; Houston Habitat for Humanity Revolving Fund; Houston Apartment 
Association; and Habitat World. To all the sponsors--You have all done 
a great service to this community, and to our future generations. I 
congratulate you all.
  I also want to thank and congratulate a particular group of very 
special people--the Gibson Family. I worked alongside of Mr. and Mrs. 
Gibson for the better part of the day on Monday. They have two girls, 
both under the age of ten, and they have another child on the way. For 
the past few years, they have lived in a small apartment in a 
dilapidated building, the whole while, looking for ways that they could 
better their living situation. Like many families, they have searched 
for options that would keep them from having to send their hard-earned 
money to the landlord every month, knowing that they would never own a 
piece of that property.
  I am happy to report to you that the Gibson Family, with the help of 
Habitat for Humanity and their sponsors, are on their way to owning 
their first house. They had to work hard, physically, to get this 
opportunity, but they seized it.
  T.S. Eliot once said, ``Home is where one starts from.'' With the 
help of President Carter, Habitat for Humanity, and thousands of 
volunteers and sponsors, the Gibson Family has a new start. It is a 
fresh chance to raise their children, and grandchildren in a way which 
every American deserves. I also want to congratulate the other 99 
families who will also be receiving homes as a part of this effort. 
Each and every one of them deserves this tremendous opportunity as 
well.
  As grateful as I am, for this effort to better the community in 
Houston, there is still substantial work to be done, and need left. 
There are still too many people who need adequate shelter. There are 
still too many cities who need adequate housing. There are far too many 
children growing up in unsuitable conditions.
  I hope there are many more people, out there across America, who are 
willing to follow the example of the miracle-workers of Houston. I urge 
corporate America to follow the lead of the many corporate sponsors I 
named earlier, who put aside profit for the sake of humanity.
  I pledge my loyal support to Habitat for Humanity and the people that 
make it work--the sponsors and the volunteers. I ask that my colleagues 
do the same. These people truly embody the best of the human spirit, 
and I applaud their heroic efforts.

                          ____________________